Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-12-05

~ ~ "a hAN - PNh> VI N"N
Secretary of the Interior is before US and We
are permitted to make the following abstract ::
LANDS RESTORED
The Commissioner state. that the follow
ing amounts of lands have been restored to
the public domain since March 4, 1885:
Acres
Area within railroad limits sg5s IL a3
Area within railroad indemnity limits 2i32s 800 90
Private land claims, 576.00G00
Fraudulent entries cancelled 100000
Invalid swamp and other state seIec-
tiol. cancelled. 81. 7c4 t5
Total restored To the public domain, 81 81 isl7e
DI-Po.AL OF Public LAND.
From the report of the Commissioner of
the General Land Office it appears that the
number of acres of land disposed of during
the past fiscal year, under the various acts of
Congress authorizing sales, entries, and Sc
lecti0ns. aggregates, 25,1ll ,400.s4 of which
7iG. 637 20 acres were Indian lands, SILL
s07 80 railroad selections, and 2,I09 i3l 43
selections under other grants the aggregate
amount showing an increase of 4 SOP ,524 80
acres as compared with the previous year.
The receipts from disposal of the public lands
we're sI0.Is3.92l.72; from sales of Indian
lands, 81 -4sf ,302 30; a total of SIP POS .22i :
50, pa, 727.0e. To which is to be added S.
29l received on account of timber depreda-
tons, and SIP 1885 received for certified
copies of records furnished by the General
Land Office, making receipts of that Bureau
from all sources sl2 ,2s9 .00a.s1.
PATENTS Issued.
The number of patents issued during the
year upon agricultural lands was "a ,55s, an
increase of 4 073 over the previous year ac-
cording to the report of the Commissioner,
but a decrease compared with 1885, of
1854.
NLAwfrL lNcLosCRE OF THE PIT BLIc LANDS.
The work Of returning to the people the
large areas of the public land hitherto lille
gally appropriated by corporations and lnd-
vidual- engaged in the cattle business on the
plains has progressed most successfully
during the past year The papers trans
mitted from the General Land Office show
that 100 Illegal Enclosures, aggregating in
area nearly 1000 900 acres, have been re-
ported. In 1873 of these cases, involving g.
21j,000 acres. proceedings have been in
stituted. and in l65 cases the special agents
report the removal, complete or in progress,
of the illegal fences. throwing open to public
use and occupancy 1894 900 acres.
This does not include the work of the two
inspectors Messrs. Bowers and Hunter, sent
from my office to the Territories of New
Mexico and Wyoming. Through their
agency fences have been removed in ll9
cases. embracing an area of | 800 900 acres
of public land, making total of nearly s.
900 900 acres restored to the public domain
The first step taken to overthrow and stop
this great and steadily increasing Enclosure of
public lands came in the act to prevent I'M
lawful occupancy of the public lands of
February %, lss5. The passage of this
measure meeting with scarcely any compl-
ance by these hardened violators of the law,
on August :, 1855, the President issued a
proclamation calling attention to the violation
of this act, and enjoined upon all persons
obedience to it. While the erection of their
fences was arrested and some fences were re-
moved in conformity to tins proclamation even
this warning from the highest executive
officer of the nation was disregarded among
these men who had been for so long time
law unto themselves, At this point was
provided by Congress with two inspectors for
public land service. They were sent at once
to New Mexico and Wyoming. and have
since September, 1856, been chiefly employed
in their respective Territories in enforcing
the removal of illegal Enclosures From
them have obtained direct and special in
formation concerning this question, and have
been able by immediate action through thi.
agency to obtain most satisfactory results.
TUE PREsERv ALTON OF PrRLIc TIMER
The vital necessity for legislation looking
to the preservation of the timber resources
of the country becomes more urgent every
year. The annual loss to the Government
by the destruction of timber by fire alone is
estimated at s. DOC, 900. To this should be
added the more important but secondary loss
which follows the destruction of the timber
by floods, land-slides, climatic changes of a
permanent character, and the violations of
the law by dcprcdators upon the timber on
public lands
INDIAN AFFAIRS.
commend TO your attentive consideration
the operations of the Indian Bureau As set
forth in the accompanying report of the
Commissioner of Indian Affairs.
The statistics compiled from the annual re-
ports of the various United States. Indian
agents to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs
represents that of the remaining ls3, 800
Indians under their supervision, about jS,-
600 wear citizens clothes wholly; that To-
Al houses are occupied by them; that about
- 900 can speak English with sufficient in
tclligence for ordinary conversations that
more than 1880 of their children are in
schools receiving educational and industrial
training. for whom 237 schools are in opera
ton, and that over 81 900 families are en-
gagged in industrial pursuits. They have
cultivated over 23S 600 acres, built over 295.-
600 rods of fencing. produced over $50, 900
bushels of wheat $4,000 bushels of corn
lO2 0no bushels of oats. 5000 bushels of
barley and rye. > 900 bushels of vegetables
and 50 .00o pounds of butter. Besides the
above they have gathered for use and sale
considerable quantities of wild rice. berries
herbs, furs, fish, and snake root, etc. They
have sawed .552 019 feet of lumber cut
- 900 cords of wood, and 1o2 900 tons of
hay. They own over 800 600 horses. 5000
mules. 10000 cattle. t6.Od0 swine. and L.
10000 sheep. Droughts have seriously
affected the yield of their crops the past year.
INpr>> SCHOOLS.
The report of the Commissioner of Indian
Affairs and that Of the superintendent of In
dian schools, and the statistical exhibits ac-
complaining them, show that there are about
40. 900 children of school-age from six to
sixteen years among that portion of Indian
population for whose benefit the appropria-
tons for Indian educational purposes, as far
as they will go, are sought to be expended.
Schools for these to the number of 227 have
been provided. with capacity for accommoda-
ting about l3,766 pupils.
Ft>.NCt,L LIABILITIES OF rnE UNITED
STATES To rnE INDIAN TRIBrs.
The liabilities of the United States to In
dian tribes under treaty stipulations, taking
as basis, where no specific Gums are stated
in the treaties. the amounts appropriated last
year. are as follow. Permanent annuities
$40 PSI. 9s: temporary annuties for specific
periods, sj.S7l .G66.62: temporary annuities
payable at the pleasure of Congress or the
President, Sll7s,0l0; total s. ,39s OPS. Co
PENSIONS.
Reorganization.
Appeals pending 1ny /, 1S>6 800
Appeal, filed from July /, l>>6, to Nov.
!, Isl, 1853
Total, $40
Appeals wherein Pension Office was